Apple's iconic glass cube may soon get a neighbor in longtime rival Microsoft, which is supposedly in negotiations to open a retail space on New York's Fifth Ave., just a few blocks away from the city's flagship Apple Store.

Apple's Fifth Ave. flaghship store (highlighted in red) is just a few blocks north of Microsoft's rumored outlet (pinned).

According to sources familiar with Microsoft's plans, the Redmond, Wash. company is looking to take over a two-story space previously occupied by Fendi, a short walking distance from Apple's Fifth Ave. outlet, reports the New York Daily News.

Located at 677 Fifth Ave., the 8,700-square-foot property would be Microsoft's first permanent store in Manhattan. Previously, the company opened a Times Square pop-up shop in 2012, though the installation was temporary. In 2005, rumors suggested Microsoft would open a retail space in the historic One Times Square building, which hosts the widely televised annual New Year's Eve ball drop, though plans ultimately fell through.

Apple took the wraps off its Fifth Ave. location in 2006, four years after opening its first Manhattan location in SoHo. The outlet's 32-foot glass cube entryway, said to have been designed by late cofounder Steve Jobs, never closes and has become one of the most photographed spots in the city.

Following Apple's lead, Microsoft opened its first branded retail store in 2009 at a Scottsdale, Ariz. mall. Since then, the software giant has rolled out a total of 102 stores in Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. — many times near Apple Stores — with another 12 opening soon.

Are Microsoft retail stores doing that well so that they'd have to open another one? The other stores are usually empty so merely adding more empty space isn't any solution. Once they get the product to pack the first stores, then they can see about opening more. This way, Microsoft is simply being inefficient with space.

Stupid move on their part. I see the consumer going to the Apple Store, checking out the iPad, walking over to the Microsoft store to check out the Surface than going back to the Apple Store to purchase an iPad.